Enchantments are one of the most exciting features of Minecraft that serve as superpowers for your gear. But to unlock the complete potential of these magical upgrades you need to get your hands on enchanted books. They are the ultimate tools that can help you dominate the leaderboards on the finest Minecraft 1.20 servers. However, obtaining and utilizing these coveted items is no simple task. So, let's delve into the world of enchanted books in Minecraft and discover everything there is to know about them.
Use Enchanted Books in Minecraft
From obtaining and crafting to the usage of enchanted books in Minecraft, our guide has it all covered.
What are Enchanted Books in Minecraft
Enchanted books are one of the most powerful enchantment items in Minecraft. Although they resemble regular books, they possess the extraordinary ability to carry unique enchantments that can be transferred to other items. In fact, there are 7 unique enchantments that are only applicable with the help of the enchanted books.
Unlike the Enchantment Table, which provides specific enchantments based on bookshelf combinations, enchanted books offer enchantments at random levels. Plus, the enchanted books are the only item that allows you to hold and apply multiple enchantments at once. Due to these exciting features, the enchanted books are one of the most sought-after items on most Minecraft survival servers.
Treasure Enchantments
There is no doubt that enchanted books are an exciting way to apply enchantments over your equipment. But, what if they are also the only way? Here are some of the Minecraft enchantments that you cannot use without an enchanted book:
- Curse of Binding: Removes the ability to take off a piece of armor
- Curse of Vanishing: Makes the item disappear upon the death of its owner
- Frost Walker: Allows players to freeze the water beneath their feet while walking on it
- Mending: Automatically repairs items by consuming experience points
- Soul Speed: Increases your speed on soul sand and soul soil blocks
- Swift Sneak: Increases sneaking speed
Where to Get Enchanted Books in Minecraft
There are numerous options when it comes to obtaining enchanted books in Minecraft. Let's go over each of them to find the method that suits your playstyle and requirements.
Trading
One of the easiest ways to get books in Minecraft is by purchasing them from librarian villagers in exchange for emeralds. These books are available at novice, apprentice, journeyman, and expert levels. With enough emeralds and librarians, you can get all enchanted books (except Soul Speed and Swift Sneak) in the game just by trading.
Each trade usually costs anywhere between 5 to 64 emeralds, based on the level and rarity of the enchantment. But, you can cure a zombie village in Minecraft to significantly bring down the price. Alternatively, you can also stop a raid in the village to get a similar effect.
Bartering
If villagers are giving you a hard time, it's time to take your business to the Nether portal and trade with Piglins. They only offer Soul Speed enchanted books and you can trade by throwing gold ingots at their feet. The chances of getting this book are extremely slim, standing only at 5 in 459 attempts.
However, it is still one of the easier methods to obtain this rare enchanted book in Minecraft. Plus, even in the worst-case scenario, you will still end up with a bunch of useful items and blocks from bartering.
Fishing
Another interesting, but extremely slow, method to get enchanted books in Minecraft is fishing. This method allows you to get all types of enchanted books in the game. Though, what makes it truly special is that you can even get books carrying multiple enchantments at once.
However, the chances of getting an enchanted book while fishing are only 0.8%. While you can bring the chances up to around 2% with the help of Luck of the Sea enchantment, it's still not extremely reliable. This is why most people usually go AFK during fishing in Minecraft to maximize their chances over time.
Mob Drop
Vindicators and Pillagers have a small chance to drop enchanted books when killed during a raid. The dropped book will have a level 30 enchantment that can even be a treasure enchantment. However, both of these are highly dangerous mobs so, make sure not to let your shield down in the search of loot.
Chest Loot
There are a bunch of Minecraft structures whose chests spawn with enchanted books in them. These include:
- Ancient City
- Bastion Remnant
- Desert Temple
- Dungeon
- Jungle Temple
- Mineshaft
- Pillager Outpost
- Stronghold
- Underwater Ruins
- Woodland Mansion
The chests of Strongholds, Ancient Cities, and Desert Temples have the highest chance of spawning with enchanted books in Minecraft. However, only Jungle Temples and Strongholds have the ability to generate level-30 books.
So, if you're already planning to explore your world, these structures offer the best method for acquiring enchanted books. Additionally, you can maximize your chances of acquiring various armor trims along the way.
How to Make an Enchanted Book in Minecraft
While searching for enchanted books is the norm for most players, it isn't the only option you have. You can even turn regular books into enchanted books and use them to enchant your equipment. Here's how:
1. First, craft two books by combining three pieces of paper with a piece of leather on the crafting table.
2. Then, make an Enchantment Table in Minecraft with the help of two diamonds, one book, and four obsidian blocks.
3. After that, you have to explore your world and search for lapis lazuli. This rare mineral only spawns as an ore in the overworld caves and our Minecraft 1.20 ore distribution guide will lead you right to it.
4. Next, open your Enchantment Table. Then, place a book in the left-side slot and lapis lazuli in the right-side slot.
5. The table will show you a bunch of available enchantments and you can click on any of them to apply them to your book.
6. If you want higher-level enchantments, they can be unlocked by surrounding the Enchantment Table with a bunch of bookshelves. However, don't forget, the table can't unlock treasure enchantments as they can only be obtained through fishing and chest loot.
What Do I Need to Use Enchanted Books
To use enchanted books in Minecraft, you have to collect the following:
- Enchanted Book
- Anvil
- Compatible Item (armor, weapon, tool)
- Experience Levels
At this point, you must already know how to make or find an enchanted book in Minecraft. So, let's figure out how to get everything else to put the book to work.
How To Make an Anvil in Minecraft
The Anvil is a utility block that allows you to rename items, combine equipment and even enchant items. To create an anvil in Minecraft, you have to combine three blocks of iron with four iron ingots. But, considering how each iron block requires 9 ingots for crafting, you need a total of 31 iron ingots for the recipe.
Due to its expensive recipe, most players stick with finding the anvil naturally within your world. However, even then they only spawn in the extremely rare Woodland Mansions. So, unless you are on one of the best Minecraft survival seeds, searching for iron and crafting an anvil might be your only option.
How to Get Experience Points
Performing any action on an anvil comes with its "enchantment cost" and this applies to using enchanted books as well. To pay for this cost, you need to collect experience or XP orbs and fill up your experience bar to as many levels as possible.
Here are a few easy ways to collect experience in Minecraft within no time:
- Mining sculk blocks without using silk touch
- Smelting items inside a furnace or a blast furnace (easiest with bamboo, kelp, and cactus)
- Breeding mobs like villagers, Sniffers, and more
- Trading with villagers
- Killing the Ender Dragon (maximum experience orbs at once)
- Mining ore blocks with a compatible pickaxe
How to Use Enchanted Books in Minecraft
Once you have all the items you need, it's time to enchant your items. So, follow these steps to use enchanted books in Minecraft:
1. First, place down your anvil on top of any solid surface. Then, right-click or use the secondary action key to open it.
2. Next, place the item you want to enchant in the left-side slot of the anvil. Please make sure that the item you choose is compatible with the enchantment on the enchanted book. If you are just getting started, we suggest you stick with the best Minecraft pickaxe enchantments only.
3. Then, place the enchanted book in the middle slot of the anvil. Doing so will immediately show you the enchanted item on the right side of the anvil. If you have enough experience levels, you can simply pick it up and place the item in your inventory.
How Do I Read An Enchanted Book in Minecraft?
Although it may seem ironic, enchanted books in Minecraft are not intended for reading. Instead, they serve as a storage option for carrying and transferring enchantments. The characters on the Enchantment Table can be translated into English, but they do not have any direct connection with the enchantments themselves.
If you are still curious about deciphering the mysterious enchantment language, you can explore the "Standard Galactic Alphabet" system. This widely-used alien-like alphabetical system is employed in various forms of media, including Minecraft.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Chiseled Bookshelf in Minecraft?
The chiseled bookshelves are a brand-new storage item in Minecraft 1.20. You can use them to store books and enchanted books.
How many bookshelves do you need for level 30?
You have to place a total of 15 bookshelves around your Enchanting Table to unlock level-30 enchantments. Once unlocked, you can easily transfer these enchantments to books using our simple guide.
What is the best enchanted book in Minecraft?
While there is no best enchanted book in Minecraft, the Mending books are often the most sought-after. This is because Mending is a very useful treasure enchantment that is only available through books.
How do I specify which enchantments an Enchanted Book has?
There is no way to pick which type of enchantments the book you find has. However, you can create your own enchanted book and somewhat choose its enchantments using an Enchantment Table.
Why can’t I use enchanted books in Minecraft?
More often than not, an enchanted book doesn't work as intended due to the "enchantment cost" of an anvil. Either you don't have enough experience for the operation or you have already performed too many anvil actions on the target item.
Find, Make, and Use Enchanted Books in Minecraft
Just like that, you now know how to find, make and use enchanted books in Minecraft. And now that your items are in their best state, it's time to upgrade your character. To unlock some amazing abilities for yourself, you have to create a bunch of amazing Minecraft potions. Start by brewing the Potion of Strength and the Potion of Night Vision, both readily accessible. Just ensure you have a brewing stand at your disposal. Now, let the enchanting odyssey commence!